Promoting identity through language is essential. In El Salvador, the mother tongue has been revived, bringing it closer to schools. Currently, learning the basics of the Nahuat Pipil culture is part of the curriculum. Do you want to learn some phrases from a language that was also spoken among the Maya in Honduras and in some communities in Nicaragua and Guatemala?
The origins of this language spoken by the Maya
The Nahuat Pipil language, historically linked to the inhabitants of Cuzcatlán, became almost entirely extinct as a result of the peasant revolution of the 1930s. Thousands of indigenous people of Mexican descent died in this massacre, burying the history of a language that somehow just managed to survive. It was in the 10th century when this language emerged in western and central El Salvador.
Where can you go to practice it?
Sonsonate and Ahuachapán are the two regions where this particular language lives on. I would recommend striking up a conversation with the elderly residents of Santo Domingo de Guzmán or Cuisnahuat. They are still passing on this language that in previous years was even rejected by the indigenous people for fear of being killed.
Immerse yourself in the Nahuat Pipil culture and learn the native languages of other countries in Central America. Visit our website to learn ancient languages that will fascinate you.
